How to Quickly Repair A Broken Zipper

There should be no gaps between the zipper teeth and top stops. You can also do another bar tack with your needle and thread, giving the zipper extra strength to stay in place. Up until now I had been ripping out the entire zipper and replacing it. Hope to see you again this week.

It will definitely take a little practice. The directions are involved and since the steps are numerous, I have divided them into four separate charts:. I've made some assumptions in labeling the different parts of the zipper area. First of all, the flap that is between the zipper tape and the front fabric of the jeans is the fly extension.

I assume the pants you are sewing have the fly extension located on the left side, as you're wearing them. We'll call that the top zipper half. It has the buttonhole in it. The other part will then be called the bottom zipper half.

It is on the right side. It has the button sewn at the waistband. If your zipper size is not available, buy the zipper longer than you need. I'll show you how to make it fit! Rip Out the Broken Zipper. That is a very involved set of instructions. Steps 19, 20 and 21 are confusing, I'll admit. But I promise once you get the hang of it, replacing a zipper will take you much less time than it did for me to write these directions!

Depending on the time it take to rip out the old one, I can usually do this alteration in less than 30 minutes. So give it a try. You can't really mess it up. The worst you can do is sew the opening shut. Just rip it out and start over. Return from This Page to Home Page. The directions are involved and since the steps are numerous, I have divided them into four separate charts: Here's What You'll Need Take some digital pictures so you have something to refer back to.

Begin by removing the stitches that attach the waistband to the pants. You'll remove all the stitches along that fly extension that holds the zipper in place. If you turn the jeans right side out, you'll see it is the double row of topstitching, including two bar tacks. Turn the jeans inside out and remove the stitches from the inside if you need to. Then pick the loose threads from the front. The topstitching is gone and the waistband is separated from the pants front STEP SIX Remove the stitches where the bottom zipper is attached to the jeans.

There is only one line of stitching here, unless the under side is serged. If so, remove the serging too. The zipper is now free. You may have to cut part of the zipper tape, as I have here.

Pin in place through top, zipper and extension that is underneath. Sometimes you can see, on the extension,the ridges left by the previous zipper. Try to line up the teeth of the new zipper with these indentations. Align zipper from beginning of opening to waistband. It is sandwiched between the extension on the bottom and the jean front on the top. Estimate where you will have to cut, if necessary. Cut the zipper so that a little bit of it will slip under the waistband opening.

Use regular scissors, but be careful to cut between the teeth. Here is a close up of the newly shortened zipper. Stick the zipper tape between the waistband layers. Adjust the zipper so only the teeth are peeking out from the pants front. Check that the extension is flat and smooth. Since the machine is going from waistband to crotch, be certain that the area is lying flat. Otherwise, you'll get a bubble at the end. Use as many pins as necessary to secure. Here is what it looks like on the inside of the jeans.

The stitching on the extension may look a little off line, but it is fine, as long as the right side looks good. With a zipper foot, put your needle in the left position and stitch in the previous needle holes of the waist band.

Carefully sew over the teeth. You may have to walk your machine over this area using the hand wheel. Here is the finished right side. LadyBlogger recently posted… Versatile Blogger Award! I always try to post at least one sewing-type post a month in hopes that it will be helpful to someone. I know what you mean by reading all day. Normally, I spend a lot of time reading posts at night, especially on the weekend.

Have a great weekend. Hopefully, this comes in handy for you…. My kids are hard on clothes and we often have zipper trouble. This is a great solution to simply throwing it out which is what I normally do. This is a pretty simple one to do. Had to buy another fridge. I always struggle with what to do with broken zippers.

I pinned this to my Pinterest board. Smith recently posted… Ghosts of Halloweens Past. Hi Sharen, thanks for the quick repair tip. I have a tip to share about zippers. Ever have a zipper that opens up after you have zipped up your jacket or pants. Sometimes the problem is that the zipper slider is too loose.

If you have a metal zipper there is a quick fix for it. Just get a pair of pliers and squeeze the slider opening that glides down the zippers teeth. This may even prevent your zipper from sliding off the track.

Darlene recently posted… Happiness is. Thanks for the tip. Keeping that one in mind for sure. That has definitely happened before to me. For me, this always happens on a coat or jacket.

Thanks for sharing this wonderful tip at Four Seasons Blog Hop: It should definitely work the same way for jackets. Normally, this only happens to me on pants, especially jeans. Thanks for linking up this helpful post about broken zippers to the Sweet Wednesday Link Party! Have a Sweet Day. Hopefully, it will come in handy for someone that needs to repair a zipper. This really is a great tip.

This has happened in our family a few times and I have always had to wait to repair the whole thing. I have never tried to quick fix anything as I was always afraid that what I do might backfire on me. You have given me some confidence now. Thank you so much for sharing this great tip! I would have just thrown the jeans out.

I have definitely needed this fix in the past, and it will be a handy trick to know! Thanks a lot for sharing this information Sharon. I usually rush and find something else to wear. Someone suggested using tape when one does not have the time to hem a dress!: You are in luck! A broken zipper no longer means you have to ditch your favorite jeans, as there is a quick and easy fix to this common wardrobe malfunction.

While only a temporary solution, this is a great way to secure your garment until you are able to get the zipper replaced. Especially if you find yourself in a pinch! A broken zipper may have at once seemed like a death wish for dresses and slacks alike, but not anymore. You can easily fix a broken zipper with a few items you probably have right in your home and some good old fashioned know-how. Click here to read full article […]. Repair a broke zipper with just a needle and thread. Thanks for sharing guys!

I knew that there had to be some sort of a solution to fix this. I found a tutorial on how to fix a broken zipper. It is quick easy and pretty free too! It takes maybe a minute to do […].

Decreasing life expenses by making or fixing things yourself August 22, at 2: June 13, at 6: April 25, at 7: This saved me from a lot of embarassment! January 12, at February 16, at 1: November 4, at 7: May 28, at Bring it to a tailor 2. September 28, at You are a genius! Thanks so much for the clear instructions! February 26, at 8: September 19, at Thanks so much for this! September 16, at September 3, at 2: This was just what I needed. A little confidence and I was off! August 24, at 3: August 29, at 8: September 15, at July 8, at 7: July 16, at 7: This technique really comes in handy.

February 20, at 3: February 25, at 3: July 27, at 4: July 28, at 2: May 25, at 4: June 16, at 7: May 24, at 9: It saved an expensive fleece. May 14, at 5: April 19, at 8: December 24, at 3: November 21, at Saved me and my backpack! Bless your soul you angel! November 10, at November 4, at August 3, at 1: July 28, at Your instructions were wonderful … worked like a charm! June 28, at 3: July 23, at March 29, at 6: You just saved my life — and my jeans!!

March 17, at 6: March 7, at February 5, at 2: January 27, at 1: January 22, at 7: Another settlement needed my help, so I fixed my jeans… 5hanks. November 27, at 1: November 13, at 1: November 12, at 1: Yeah cuz I just casually carry around a sewing kit with me. January 28, at September 9, at 1: September 5, at 2: August 9, at 6: July 14, at 1: July 14, at June 29, at 6: July 1, at 6: May 5, at 8: May 5, at 5: Glad to be of help.

It definitely comes in handy…. May 3, at 2: February 26, at 1: February 27, at January 25, at 2: January 27, at 5: December 31, at January 4, at 7: February 19, at 9: February 20, at December 13, at 2: This is a life saver! Thank you so much for sharing this trick! December 20, at 7: December 6, at 8: December 6, at 3: You definitely want to use the same color thread to blend in with the fabric.

November 30, at 1: September 25, at July 31, at 1: July 31, at July 18, at 3: July 19, at July 11, at 8: July 10, at 1: June 27, at 7: June 28, at So happy to help out. Definitely a skill that comes in handy…. May 24, at 7: June 4, at May 18, at May 19, at 5: May 17, at May 23, at 4: May 23, at May 25, at 9: May 13, at May 14, at Have you tried using a keychain loop and hanging it around the button of the cargo shorts?

Instead of the keyring you could use a small elastic band or a flexible plastic ring. May 14, at 6: May 14, at 8: May 17, at 1: May 22, at 6: December 13, at Elastic or key ring through the hole in the zipper pull then over the button once zipped. May 13, at 9: May 14, at 7: May 8, at May 9, at May 8, at 1: April 28, at April 28, at 9: April 24, at 9: April 24, at 5: Glad to be able to help out….

April 13, at 7: April 3, at 1: April 3, at March 29, at 9: March 30, at 8: March 26, at 3: February 16, at February 27, at 2: February 27, at 4: February 5, at 6: February 6, at Glad that it was helpful…. January 6, at 8: January 6, at January 4, at 1: January 4, at 9: November 27, at November 25, at 8: November 26, at 2: January 4, at 4: November 25, at 1: I wish I could fix the zipper problems winter coats seem to always have….

November 5, at 6: Bintu Recipes From A Pantry says: October 31, at 7:

Use your zipper foot, with the foot set to hold the tape in place, to sew the zipper in place. Stitch as close to the bottom of the zipper as possible. Continue to 6 of 10 below. This is a tutorial to quickly repair a broken zipper using just a needle and thread. This is a tutorial on quickly repairing a broken zipper. Repair the zipper with a needle and thread. I will admit that replacing a broken zipper is a fiddly task, but it’s so worthwhile to bring a favorite garment back to life. After all, you are doing something good for the earth by keeping those jeans out of the landfill.